<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='https://windowsphone.uservoice.com/forums/147665-advertising-and-promotion' target='_blank'>https://windowsphone.uservoice.com/...g-and-promotion</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"If you're here, we assume that's because you love Windows Phone as much as we do - but maybe you're frustrated that word's not getting out to everyone about how great Windows Phones are? Just like with your suggestions on features to add to future versions of the product, we'd like your suggestions on how we can spread the word about Windows Phone itself via advertising campaigns, community or social media involvement and other types of promotions."</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/wpt/auto/1328549493.usr14226.jpg" /></p><p>One of the big disadvantages of being a big company not named Apple is that its sometimes (ok, most of the time) pretty hard to have your ear to the ground and keep track of the pulse of consumer likes and dislikes. So what's a big company to do? A couple of years back I had the chance to read Gary Hamel's <em>"The Future of Management"</em> and one of the recommendations was for companies to <em>co-create</em> with their customers. I think we're seeing that principle in action here - Microsoft wants YOU, to help them market Windows Phone 7 to the masses. Here's your chance to write copy, and break into advertising!</p>

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"A planner is a gentle man, with neither sword nor pistol.
He walks along most daintily, because his balls are crystal."

I was listening to music on my pocket PC phone way before Apple came up with the ipod.
I was syncing through Exchange while Blackberry businessmen claimed its the only way to have their calendars, contacts and emails synchronized to their computers.
I had photos of my family on my phone way before all of them.
I was surfing the web...
I was playing games...
I was recording voicememos...
I was using spreadsheets...
I was copy / pasting...
I was... well... you get the point.

Windows users were always ahead of the game, but it was never made cool like Apple did.
Now we have the graphics appeal we lacked years ago, but how do we get the news out?
Most of my friends are apple users. When I show them my phone, they are quite impressed, but none of them knew it exists.

If I was Windows, I would launch a campaign directly against Apple letting the world know we were doing all this way before any of them!

I would be cautious about taking on Apple directly. While everything paulperroni said is true (and you can extend that to tablets BTW) Apple is a marketing powerhouse. Fireing at them directly is likely to backfire. Nobody likes attack ads in political campaigns, and the same goes for this I would think.

Not to say that a little competition, ala BenthePCGuy challenges, isn't a good thing, but the iPhone can do a lot of things Windows Phone can't (yet, hopefully).

The big thing is getting the word out, and highlighting the things WP does extremely well. Doesn't even have to be stuff that is exclusive to WP. I see ads everyday that highlight things Android or iPhone does that WP does just as well, but the viewer comes away recalling the device in the ad is how it is done.

I would love to see some ads taking advantage of the 'Challenge' concept, but with out the direct competition aspect.

*Several friends get together and suggest going out for lunch. They pull out their phones to search for and discuss possible restuarants. Naturally the WP user has a list up first as others are still getting to their search engine, or talking to their phones in a 'noisy' environment.

*Friends are walking down the street and something odd occurs that warrents a picture. All pull out their phones to snap one, and before anyone else is barely ready, the WP user says 'got it, and I mailed to you you guys.'

*Several friends are at lunch and they wonder if they have time to chat some more. It is brought up they need to check their e-mail to see if there is anything presing. Naturally the WP user just needs to glance at the start screen tiles to see nothing has arrived in accounts that would matter. So it's a pull out the phone, pop it on, glance, 'Nothing new, I'm good."

The friends are of course 'Friends' or 'How I met your mother' types. I'm sure there are other scenarios that would fit other demographics better. Older professionals could use a stock checking thing, with the live tiles providing the instant gratification. Younger fols using the Bing music search and Zune purchase to grab a new tune heard somewhere. Things like that.

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Sometimes you are the anteater, sometimes you are the ant.

I have been using windows phone for more than 10 yrs even when it was known as pocket pc or whatever name you call it. I am still using 6.5 version now because I can't upgrade to version 7 or 7.5 because of all the major failures of the version 7 series. It is therefore difficult for people like me to advertise windows phone because I can't show anybody what windows phone can do better now. I have elected to stay a little longer with windows phone and hope the next version will be better. So, for MS to get a good advert, the phone must be able to compete with other brands even if it is not better.
Kay

But, you see, you haven't been using Windows Phone. That's only been out for a little over a year. It is a radically new paradigm, nothing to do with PocketPC or Windows Mobile. (I too started with MS handhelds even before getting the very first available PPC, the HP Jornada back in 2000)

There are things that Windows Phone doesn't do at this point, but I wouldn't characterize them as failures. It isn't as though they tried and couldn't get it to work. There are things that are important to particular segments, but not all and, the prioritization of what was provided and what was defferred was likely a tough, but considered decision. Unfortunately folks who are missing something are always louder than those that are satisfied, so omissions are much more visible than capabilities.

Better is a personal decision/perception. It may mean having what all your friends have, having the latest, the one with the best specs on paper, or doing those things you need to do really well. I can find lots of areas in which WP competes well and even exceeds the capabilities/experience over other OSs/phones. I can of course find areas in which it doesn't.

I get there are significant differences in the WM6.5 and WP7 feature set. There are things I missed, or thought I would miss, and complained about too. I've gotten over it. Of course there are things others can't get over, and I get that too. This is not an 'upgrade' though, it is a new product. Whether it works for an individual or not needs to be evaluated independently against the other options. If it doesn't for you, so be it. For many though, the fact that it exists and isn't Windows Mobile needs to be promoted.

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Sometimes you are the anteater, sometimes you are the ant.